Three Navy frigates participate in an anti-submarine exercise off the west coast, Thursday, amid growing tensions with North Korea, which was found responsible for the sinking of a South Korean Navy ship in March. A total of 10 warships, including a 3,500-ton destroyer and six high-speed patrol boats, joined the one-day exercise. / Korea Times photo by Kim Ju-sung

Lee, Wen will discuss North's torpedo attack today

By Na Jeong-ju
Staff reporter

Is China changing its stance on North Korea?

Amid growing international pressure on Beijing to play a proactive role to resolve the crisis brewing on the Korean Peninsula, there have been some signs suggesting a major departure from its unwavering support for its closest ally.

What troubles China is the worsening international sentiment toward North Korea over its torpedo attack on a South Korean Navy vessel in March.

How China will deal with the North is expected to be high on the agenda at a summit between President Lee Myung-bak and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Seoul today. They will fly to Jeju Island the following day for three-way talks with Japan's Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama.

On May 20, South Korea, following weeks of joint investigation with foreign experts, revealed the wreckage of a North Korean-made torpedo they had collected from the sea bed near where the frigate Cheonan sank, indicating a surprise attack by a North Korean submarine. The communist state has denied its involvement.

In an editorial Wednesday, China's state-run newspaper Global Times urged Pyongyang to convince a skeptical world with solid evidence backing its innocence.

"The cold reality confronting Pyongyang now is that South Korea has presented evidence so overwhelming that it has gained the full support from the United States and Japan, and dominated worldwide public opinion on this issue," it wrote.

"In contrast, North Korea has merely thrown in strong verbiage along with the threat of an all-out war. Its reaction will by no means help Pyongyang get out of the current predicament. Instead, it can only come at the heavy price of further isolation from the rest of the world."

It is quite rare for a Chinese government paper to criticize the North.

The Associated Press also reported that China has signaled it could soon join the U.S. and its allies in blaming North Korea in the sinking of the warship, quoting senior American officials.

The U.S. officials said China indicated it was prepared to hold North Korea accountable for the March 26 torpedo attack and could join in some kind of formal rebuke by the U.N. Security Council (UNSC).

During a summit with President Lee in Shanghai on April 30, Chinese President Hu Jintao offered his condolences over the ship sinking. It was the first time that the Chinese leader had publicly mentioned the incident, more than one month after it took place near the inter-Korean West Sea border.

China had reiterated its stance of maintaining regional peace and stability, without taking any action against the North.

The change of attitude reflects a sense of urgency among some Chinese officials regarding the incident, observers here say.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday in Seoul that Washington fully backs the country's plan to take North Korea to the UNSC.

South Korea and the United States have strengthened their defense alliance to counter further acts of aggression by the North. They plan to hold more joint drills, redeploy fighter jets and warships and update surveillance systems.

During his visit to South Korea, Premier Wen may express Beijing's position on the Cheonan incident, in light of the sensitivity of the issue and the huge global attention heaped on it, an analyst said, asking not to be named. "The editorial from the Chinese state media suggests growing complaints among Chinese government officials about North Korea."

Despite that, China is unlikely to turn its back on the ally in the near future.

"As a veto-wielding UNSC member, China will remain cautious about joining the U.S. to punish North Korea," the analyst said. "However, the road ahead won't be easy for Beijing as it will come under greater pressure to play a more responsible role in reducing tensions."